Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 6/22/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Thursday, June 22, 2023

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

The Tampa Bay Rays (51-25) will compete against the Kansas City Royals (20-53) at Tropicana Field on Thursday. The pitchers expected to start will be Max Castillo and Shane McClanahan.

Kansas City has a slugging % of .376 and have struck out 650 times, while being walked on 198 occasions. They have compiled 258 runs batted in and 565 base knocks this year, and their team batting average is .232. The Royals have recorded 114 doubles as a unit and have hit 67 baseballs out of the stadium. They have accumulated 272 runs and hold an on-base percentage of .297. As a unit, the Kansas City Royals are recording 3.7 runs per outing, which puts them at 28th in the league.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.23 and the pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.41. Royals pitchers have given up 86 long balls and 385 runs (28th in the league). Kansas City has surrendered 628 base hits (8.9 per 9 innings) as well as 365 earned runs. The Royals have a team ERA of 5.16 so far this season (28th in baseball), and the staff has struck out 602 hitters. They have walked 270 opposing hitters and their FIP sits at 4.54 as a unit on the campaign.

The Royals have dispatched 242 relievers to the hill on the season. The relievers have inherited 79 runners for the season with 43.0% of them crossed home plate. They have earned 10 saves this season and have missed out on 10 of 20 save opportunities. The Royals bullpen have recorded a save rate of 50.0% and has entered the game in 43 save situations. The relievers have 23 holds so far this season (28th in the league). Royals bullpen pitchers have come into the game with players on base 48 times and also have had 59 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Kansas City Royals are sitting with 1,909 putouts on the campaign, as well as 613 assists and 34 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .987 which ranks 13th in baseball, and have a total of 56 double plays. The Royals have turned 68.4% of balls hit into play into outs out of 5,727 innings, which has them sitting 20th in the majors.

Castillo has pitched in 53 innings and has tallied 46 strikeouts so far in his pro baseball career. His ERA is 5.74 (34 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.406. He has given up 54 hits (9.1 hits per nine innings) and has 21 walks. Castillo (0-3 career win-loss record) has earned a FIP of 5.22 and he has gone up against 233 hitters during his time in the major leagues.

The Tampa Bay Rays have earned a team OBP of .338 in addition to a batting average of .263 on the campaign. They have been called out on strikes on 648 occasions (14th in the league) and have recorded 671 hits. Tampa Bay is sitting with 117 long balls so far this year and 403 runs batted in. The Rays hold a team slugging percentage of .464 and they tally 5.54 runs per outing (2nd in the league). They have put up 140 two-baggers, while taking a walk 255 times as well as recording 421 runs.

The Rays hold a team WHIP of 1.201 with a FIP of 4.01 as a team so far this year. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 8.70 (652 strikeouts vs 249 walks). They come in at 1st in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 557. They have given up 73 home runs and they concede 3.76 runs per 9 innings (1st in baseball). The Tampa Bay pitching staff have relinquished 280 runs over the course of the season while holding a team ERA of 3.55 (265 earned runs given up).

Tampa Bay relievers hold an inherited score percentage of 25.5% of 98 inherited runners. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 74 times in high leverage situations in addition to 62 occasions with runners on base. Sitting with 81 save situations, the Rays have tallied 43 holds and also 15 blown saves. They are ranked 20th in MLB holding a save percentage of 60.5%, and they have sent 247 bullpen pitchers onto the field this year. Tampa Bay has called on bullpen pitchers to take the mound in 38 save opportunities and they have come away with 23 saves.

The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten 66 double plays and have accounted for a fielding rate of .988 (5th in professional baseball). The Rays have racked up 702 assists, 32 errors and have amassed 2,013 putouts during this campaign. In 6,039 innings played, the Rays have a defensive efficiency of 71.7% (1st in baseball).

So far in his MLB career, McClanahan has surrendered 301 base hits while accumulating 432 punch outs in 379 innings. He has allowed 115 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.079 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.3. His strikeout to walk ratio is 4.00 and he has faced 1,514 opposing batters in his pro baseball career. McClanahan (33-15 record in his career) holds a 2.73 earned run average while allowing 7.1 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Kansas City

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